[PtR] 马刺抢七击败雷霆启示录：冲啊啊啊啊啊啊啊！ ▶️

[PtR]

By Charlie Thaddeus | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2026-06-01 14:15:17

我永远不会忘记蒂姆·邓肯 (Tim Duncan) 最后一次离开俄克拉荷马城球场时的情景。那支充满天赋、充满看点但最终仍有欠缺的马刺队，刚刚在西部半决赛第六场中输给了雷霆队。邓肯悄然走下球场，简短地挥了挥手，便消失在球员通道里。转瞬之间，一切已成过往。我们所熟知的那个马刺时代，就此画上了句号。

我记得那一刻我惊慌失措，因为你能真切地感受到，某种超越篮球本身的东西正随着他的离去而消逝。我不确定未来的路会怎样，但我很清楚，自己再也不会经历那样一段岁月了。

果不其然，在接下来的十年里，我渐渐习惯了这种感觉。我开始明白联盟中其他球队是如何生存的，也看清了外面的世界到底有多残酷。当家球星会决定离开。季后赛绝非你生来就该拥有的特权。你会经历大量的失败。你偶尔会感到心灰意冷。当邓肯走下球场时我所害怕的那一幕，最终还是发生了。那个时代确实结束了。当然，随着这逐渐成为我们的现实，它变得不再那么令人恐惧，但这并不意味着它不带有一丝悲凉。每一个赛季都像是一个冰冷的提醒：我们曾拥有的不仅是独一无二的，而且已经一去不复返了。我们或许只能心怀感激，庆幸自己曾亲眼见证过这一切。

我已经完全接受了这一切，并与现实达成了和解。马刺球迷不可能永远拥有美好的事物，这没关系。这就是篮球，这就是生活。

然而，这个赛季却格外特别。坦白说，自打三年前那颗乒乓球（乐透抽签）幸运地眷顾我们以来，一切都变得有些特别，但直到这个赛季，一切才真正开始步入正轨。这支球队不再只是一个概念，而是开始成为触手可及的现实。这是一种熟悉的感觉，即便我们中的许多人仍在试图克制这种期待。我们不是已经和现实和解了吗？另一只靴子已经落地了。我们已经度过了属于我们的黄金时代。我们已经享受过阳光下的辉煌。在当时看来，无视眼前不断累积的希望迹象似乎才是谨慎的、必要的，甚至是明智的。

所以，是的，我压根没指望这场比赛能完美地为邓肯的“最后一舞”画上圆满的句号。我甚至从未想过这会是一个选项。当你与某件事达成和解时，你就会停止去寻找它。你无法复制邓肯。我已经接受了这一点。但我未曾想过的是，也许你根本不需要去复制他。

前几天在俄克拉荷马城的那个夜晚，感觉并不像是对过去的重塑，也不像是历史的回响。它感觉像是一件崭新的事物，却不知何故承载着同样沉甸甸的分量——正是这种分量，让曾经的那支马刺队显得超越了篮球本身。这群年轻球员从未真正经历过一支举足轻重的马刺队。他们听说过，看过集锦。他们每晚在那些冠军退役球衣和旗帜下打球，深知其背后的含义。但他们展现出的专注与紧迫感，完全是一支试图亲手打造属于自己时代的队伍。他们穿上银黑战袍，继承了这支球队，就像继承了一栋房子。也许房子不是你建的，但现在它是你的了。

在我们的余生中，我们都会记住像朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) 这样的球员，他在客场的抢七大战中投中了六记三分球。他虽然没有单枪匹马赢下比赛，但他用实际行动彻底打破了我的理论——即“尚帕尼神仙球”只能发生一次。单单在第三节，利用文班一次又一次相同的掩护，尚帕尼不断出手，不断命中。一个按常理来说不该站在这里、也不该有能力应对这一大场面的球员，却绝对主宰了那一刻。

我们可以讲述关于德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 和凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 的故事。他们是经历过马刺低谷期的那批人。他们承受了每一次艰难的时期和糟糕的开局，经历了每一次提前出局，听够了那句随着时间推移开始显得有些空洞的“我们正在朝着目标建设”。还有数不尽的交易流言。但他们都坦然面对，坚持出勤，始终相信这支球队的未来。昨晚，凯尔登在场上投中了不可思议的三分球，而德文则在时间即将耗尽时用一记势大力沉的扣篮为比赛画上惊叹号。他们庆祝得比谁都卖力，笑得比谁都大声。当比赛结束时，他们的神情就像是完全明白走到这一步付出了多少，因为他们全程见证并参与了这一切。

还有维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)，他无法被简单地归入这两个群体中的任何一个。他不是背负着低谷期重担的老将，但也绝非对历史毫无感知的懵懂新人。他是联盟前所未见的存在。更重要的是，他也不是邓肯，这一点值得我们时不时大声提醒自己。

他们的打法不同，行事风格也不同。他们给人的感觉几乎像是来自完全不同的星球。邓肯似乎超然于万物之上，是一根沉默的支柱，坚定而稳定。而维克托则像是一股席卷一切的狂飙，展现出满溢而出的旷世天赋，永远在挑战可能的极限。这种对比极其强烈。然而不知何故，在这一刻，给人的感觉却是一样的。22分、7个篮板，西部决赛MVP。虽然他的打法并不低调，但结果却同样举重若轻，而且他似乎完全不在意这一切本该是多么的“不可能”。

十年前，邓肯挥了挥手走进了那条通道，在空气中留下了一些我最终不再去寻找的东西。而周六晚上，在同一座球馆里，沿着同一条通道，维克托·文班亚马走下球场，我感受到了一种久违的感觉。那不是解脱，也不是狂喜，而更像是一种认同感。就好像答案一直都在走来的路上，只是我早已停止了追问。

眼前发生的一切或许让人感到熟悉，但请放心，这完全是另一回事。文班亚马时代不会和邓肯时代一模一样。他们可能不会在未来十年里夺得五次总冠军。他们可能不会成为职业精神的绝对标杆。他们也绝对不会表现得那么低调。但他们必定会创造属于自己的传奇。未来有着无限的可能。

我们不会回到过去，也从未打算回去。我们正在做的是大步向前。这根本不是一次回归。

这是一次宣告到来的登场。

这难道不令人惊叹吗？

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要点总结：

• 我简直不敢相信，我们竟然迎来了属于自己的“勒布朗·詹姆斯 (LeBron James) 式追身大帽”时刻，而完成这一壮举的居然是卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet)。或者我应该用他的官方全称来称呼他——“饱受诟病的卢克·科内特”？大家都在为那一记神级封盖而疯狂，但很多人忽略了，在那个回合之前的失误发生时，我的身体几乎要恐慌发作了。哈珀 (Harper)——上帝保佑他——试图强行把球传给科内特，而哈滕施泰因 (Isaiah Hartenstein) 突然杀出断球，然后一路狂奔奔向球门。你能想象一个七英尺高的大个子试图打快攻吗？他脑子里到底在想什么？无论如何，一想到偏偏是“哈滕”要完成这次精彩的快攻并将分差缩小到4分，我就几乎要崩溃了。主场观众本要彻底沸腾，而我的心都要提到嗓子眼了。我不知道科内特是怎么跑得那么快的。我也不知道他是怎么完成那么干净的封盖的。我想我也不需要知道。有些奇迹是不需要解释的。

致胜回合的定义 pic.twitter.com/XNRc4vl0f5

— 圣安东尼奥马刺 (@ spurs) 2026年5月31日

• 我简直不敢相信雷霆在这场比赛中竟然两度领先。除了第一场，在整个系列赛中，一旦失去势头，想要重新夺回几乎是不可能的。就好像我们只被允许有一次大反扑的机会，如果你让对方重新占据上风，比赛就交代了。当谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 在第二节手感发烫时，我脑海里所有的警报器都拉响了，疯狂提示我们以前看过这出悲剧。最疯狂的部分是，我甚至都没时间去恐慌。马刺队极其冷静地重新掌控了局面。福克斯 (Fox) 飙中三分，KJ得分，福克斯又中一记三分。他们就这样直接扑灭了对手的火焰。半场结束时我上气不接下气，心想：刚才到底发生了什么？
• 下半场亚历克斯·卡鲁索 (Alex Caruso) 帮助他们反超比分时也是同样的情况。61-60。在我甚至还没来得及感受到冰冷的恐惧扼住喉咙之前，朱利安 (Jules) 就飙中了几个三分，带队掀起了反扑狂潮。我想从那一刻起，我们直接轰出了一波16-2的高潮。这感觉就像雷霆队倾尽所有才夺回了那点领先优势，而马刺队所要做的就是熬死他们。家人们，抢七大战真的太疯狂了。
• 我一直都在极力避免去想在总决赛对阵尼克斯这回事，因为显然，这在之前会给马刺的晋级之路泼冷水（是的，我想在某种程度上，我感觉自己确实是球队的一员，谢谢关心）。但现在，我的天啊，我简直不敢相信我们真的要在总决赛对阵尼克斯了。这绝对会是一场火星撞地球的对决。我心中最不为人知的篮球小秘密是，我其实挺喜欢在麦迪逊广场花园 (MSG) 看季后赛的，因为看着那里的球迷陷入疯狂、看着那座充满复古气息的球馆以及场边的各路名流，真的很有意思。那太好玩了！但一想到我们可爱的孩子们要作为公敌踏入那个大熔炉，我心里就有点不是滋味。在重新摆出战斗姿态之前，请再给我10分钟的时间来平复一下心情。
• 我们要进总决赛了，你敢信吗？？？？？

GSG pic.twitter.com/mCmlhM99JU

— 圣安东尼奥马刺 (@ spurs) 2026年5月31日

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WWL 赛后新闻发布会

你申请到总决赛的媒体证了吗？

没有。听着，虽然我觉得去现场报道会很棒，但如果我真的去现场，那就违背了我在这里写作的初衷和纯粹性。

你真这么觉得？

是的，我的意思是，我在这里写的东西是非常真实且不加修饰的。对吧？这是一种纯粹、毫无保留的球迷狂热。我可不会在媒体席上和那些大人物套近乎，装得像个正儿八经的“大牌记者”。我在这里展现的是最真实的自我。我正用红蜡笔在《海洋奇缘》涂色本的背面写笔记，吐槽我有多讨厌切特·霍姆格伦 (Chet Holmgren) 的长相。我还在编一些关于我家狗子的趣事——它们只要在屏幕上看到卡特·布莱恩特 (Carter Bryant) 就会竖起耳朵，因为“英雄惜英雄”。另外，我觉得如果我真的在现场见到蒂姆·邦唐 (Tim Bontemps)，我可能得被保安护送出场。

所以，郑重声明一下，如果有人给你一张总决赛的媒体证，你会礼貌地拒绝，对吗？

喂？

你那边没声音了，出什么事了吗？

喂，不好意思，信号好像有点差，没听清最后一个问题。

你会拒绝媒体证和去现场报道总决赛的机会？

听着，老兄，你那边声音断断续续的，我们回头再聊。马刺加油！

由生成式 AI 翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。

点击查看原文：What We Learned from the Spurs GAME SEVEN WIN OVER THE THUNDER LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOO

What We Learned from the Spurs GAME SEVEN WIN OVER THE THUNDER LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOO

I’ll never forget Tim Duncan leaving the floor for the last time in Oklahoma City. A talented, interesting, and ultimately lacking Spurs team had just lost to the Thunder in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Timmy slipped off the court, raised his hand briefly, and disappeared into the tunnel. Blink and you miss it. The Spurs as we knew them were done.

I remember panicking in that moment because you could tangibly sense that something bigger than basketball was leaving with him. I wasn’t sure what things were going to look like moving forward, but I knew I’d never experience anything like it again.

Sure enough, I spent the next ten years settling into that feeling. Understanding how the rest of the world lived and just exactly how scary it is out there. Star players decide they want to leave. The playoffs aren’t some birthright you’re entitled to. You lose a lot. You check out from time to time. That thing I was so scared of when Tim walked off the court did come to pass. It really was over. Sure, it became less scary the more it became our reality, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t still a little sad. Every season felt a little bit more like a cold reminder that not only was what we had singular, it was also finished. We should just be grateful we got to see it at all.

I had fully accepted all of that. Made my peace with it. Spurs fans don’t get to have nice things forever, and that’s fine. That’s basketball. That’s life.

This season has been special though. Frankly, everything has been a little special since that ping pong ball bounced our way three years ago, but this is the season where it really started to click. Where this team stopped feeling like an idea and started feeling like a reality. It was a familiar feeling, even if I think a lot of us were still keeping it at bay. We’d made our peace, right? The other shoe had come. We’d had our golden era. We’d had our time in the sun. Ignoring the evidence piling up in front of us seemed prudent. Necessary. Wise, even.

So yeah, I wasn’t really expecting this game to cleanly close the loop on Duncan’s last dance. It didn’t occur to me that it was even something that was on the menu. The thing about making your peace with something is that you stop looking for it. You can’t recreate what Tim Duncan was. I’d accepted that. What I hadn’t considered was that maybe you don’t have to.

The other night in Oklahoma City didn’t feel like a recreation. It didn’t feel like an echo. It felt like something new that somehow carried the same specific gravity that made those old Spurs teams feel like more than basketball. These kids have never really known a Spurs team that mattered. They’ve heard about it. They’ve seen the highlights. They play under those banners every night and they know what it means. But they carry themselves with the focus and urgency of a group trying to build something of their own. They put on the silver and black and inherited the franchise the same way you might inherit a house. Maybe you didn’t build it, but it’s yours now.

For the rest of our lives, we get to remember guys like Julian Champagnie, who hit six threes in a Game 7 on the road. He didn’t exactly win the game on his own, but he went out of his way to disprove my theory that there can only be one Champagnie Game. In the third quarter alone, off the same Wemby screen run again and again, Champagnie just kept shooting. Kept making them. A guy who by every reasonable measure should not be here and should not be capable of meeting this moment was absolutely owning it.

We get to tell stories about Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson. These are guys who lived through the other version of this. They absorbed every tough stretch and false start, every early exit, every “we’re building toward something” speech that probably started to feel a little hollow after a while. Every trade rumor too, and there were plenty of those. They took all of it in stride, kept showing up, kept believing in what this thing was becoming. Last night Keldon was out there hitting impossible threes and Devin was throwing down exclamation point dunks as time expired. They celebrated harder. Laughed louder. When it was over they looked like guys who understood exactly what it had taken to get there, because they were there for all of it.

And then there’s Victor Wembanyama, who doesn’t fit neatly into either group. He’s not a veteran carrying the weight of the bad years, but he’s also not some kid unburdened by history. He’s something the league hasn’t quite seen before. Importantly, he’s also not Tim Duncan, something that’s worth saying out loud every once in a while.

They play differently. They carry themselves differently. They almost feel like they come from different planets entirely. Tim seemed to float above everything, a silent pillar, steadfast and consistent. Victor crashes into it, a wild and extraordinary talent bursting at the seams, always pushing against the edges of what’s possible. The contrast is almost remarkable. And yet somehow, in this moment, the feeling was the same. Twenty-two points. Seven rebounds. Western Conference Finals MVP. Quiet in result if not in method, and without any apparent concern for how impossible this was all supposed to be.

Tim Duncan raised his hand and walked into that tunnel ten years ago and left something hanging in the air that I eventually stopped looking for. Saturday night, in that same building, down that same tunnel, Victor Wembanyama walked off the court, and I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Not relief, not joy, but something closer to recognition. Like the answer had been coming all along and I had just stopped asking the question.

Whatever is happening right now might feel familiar but, rest assured, it’s something else entirely. The Wembanyama era isn’t going to look like the Duncan era. They probably aren’t going to win five titles over the next decade. They probably aren’t going to set the standard for professionalism. They certainly aren’t going to do it quite so quietly. What they are going to do is make it their own. The possibilities are endless.

We’re not going back and we never were. What we are doing is moving forward. This isn’t a return at all.

It’s an arrival.

How amazing is that?

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Takeaways:

• I can’t believe we got our LeBron James chase down block moment and that Luke Kornet was the one who did it. Or should I call him by his full official title, “The Much Maligned Luke Kornet”? Lost in the sauce of how crazy that play was is that I think my body almost had a full blown panic attack at the turnover that preceded it. Harper, God love him, trying to force that pass into Luke, and Hartenstien screaming in front of it and then racing down the court. Can you imagine a seven footer trying to run a fast break? Where does he even get these ideas? Anyway, the idea of I-Hart of all people being the one to make this amazing play and draw the score back to a four point game almost ended me. The crowd was going to erupt and my insides were going to leak out of my ears. I don’t know how Kornet got there so fast. I don’t know how he got it so clean. I don’t think I want to know. Some miracles don’t need to be explained.

definition of a winning play pic.twitter.com/XNRc4vl0f5

— San Antonio Spurs (@ spurs) May 31, 2026

• I can’t believe the Thunder led twice in this game. Excluding Game 1, it felt like in this series that shifting momentum back once you lost it was almost impossible. Like we were only allotted one big swing, and if you let the other team regain the upper hand it was over. When Shai caught fire in the second quarter, every alarm bell in my head went off, blaring about how we’d seen this movie before. The craziest part is that I didn’t even really have time to have a panic attack. The Spurs calmly just regained control. Fox hit a three. KJ scored. Fox hit another three. They just shut it down. The half ended and I was out of breath, like, what just happened?
• Same thing when Caruso put them up in the second half. 61-60. Before I could even recognize the icy dread closing around my throat, Jules banged in a few threes and we were off. I think it was like a 16-2 run directly from that moment. It was like the Thunder put everything they had into clawing back that lead and all the Spurs had to do was outlast them. Y’all, Game 7s are insane.
• I’ve been steadfastly avoiding even thinking about the concept of playing the Knicks in the Finals because, obviously, that would’ve been a death blow to the Spurs chances here (yeah, I guess in a way it is like I’m on the team, thanks for asking). But now, oh my god, I can’t believe we’re about to play the Knicks in the Finals. This is going to be insane. The dirtiest basketball secret I hold in my heart is that I kind of love watching playoff games at MSG because it’s fun watching that crowd go insane and the arena is so old school and all the celebrities, etc. It’s very fun! The concept of our sweet boys rolling into that cauldron as the enemy sort of hurts my heart. Please allow me like 10 more minutes to grieve before I put my game face back on.
• WE’RE GOING TO THE FINALS CAN YOU BELIEVE IT???

GSG pic.twitter.com/mCmlhM99JU

— San Antonio Spurs (@ spurs) May 31, 2026

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WWL Post Game Press Conference

Have you inquired yet about getting a press pass for the Finals?

No, look, as much as I think it’d be swell to go cover these in person, I think it would go against the integrity of what I do here to actually be in the building for one of these.

You think so?

Yeah, I mean, what I do here is raw. Right? Like, this is pure, uncut fandom over here. I’m not out there hobnobbing with the big shots on media row acting like some capital J journalist. I’m over here getting real. I’m writing notes on the back of a Moana coloring book with a red crayon about disliking Chet Holmgren’s face. I’m spinning up charming anecdotes about my dogs perking up whenever they see Carter Bryant on screen because “Real recognizes Real.” Plus, I think if I ever saw Tim Bontemps in person I’d need to be escorted out by security.

So, on the record, if you were offered a press pass to one of these finals games, you would politely decline?

Hello?

It’s gone quiet on your end, everything ok?

Hi, sorry, the connection got choppy, didn’t hear that last question.

You would turn down a press pass and a chance to cover the Finals in person?

Look, pal, you’re breaking up, let’s pick this up later, GO SPURS GO!

By Charlie Thaddeus, via Pounding The Rock

[PtR]

热评

@zhouprodigy

我也想向这里所有的Pounders（专区里的马刺蜜们）致敬。

作为一个不在圣安东尼奥的马刺球迷，日子挺不容易的。我觉得我们这里有很多人都是这样，但在过去的10到14年里（我已经记不清到底有多久了），我从一个每场马刺比赛都要灌太多伏特加的大学生，变成了一个稍微上了点年纪、可能每两三场才喝一次，并且把喝酒间隔控制得更好的人（这里插入一个“顶级出手选择”的双关语）……这里一直是我的家。当我身边真的没有其他人可以一起看球时，你们就是陪我一起看这些比赛的人。这真的很真实，很窝心。

我知道我可能和你们中的很多人吵过架，但那是因为你们是我的马刺家人。我们一起庆祝过，赞同过，反对过，也辩论过，正是这种激情，让我们这些外地球迷找到了归属感。所以我真的很感激你们，无论是本地球迷还是外地球迷，那些充满激情的人，甚至包括你们中那些可能更……呃，消极/谨慎的人。我也很感激那些和我一样充满激情地捍卫这支球队的“死忠粉”（Homers）。还有作者们，谢谢你们多年来想方设法剖析这些比赛和这支球队，让我们能够更深地体会和理解自己的这份热爱。

能和大家一起分享这一时刻的感觉太棒了，尤其是在经历了这段……漫长、漫长、漫长的旅程之后。工作还没有完成，但我认为我们已经赢得了一个可以好好享受当下的机会，在六月里，我们终于可以自豪地说：工作还没有完成……

好了，煽情的话就说到这里。我们有48小时来准备。我要去买一两瓶酒，并且已经洗好了我这赛季最后一次要穿的文班（Wemby）球衣。穿上你们的幸运袜，准备好你们的赛前/赛后诗篇，带上整年都在为我们带来好运的所有能量和魔力，因为终极时刻到了。这只是未来许许多多伟大时刻的第一个。

GSG！（马刺加油！）

@zhouprodigy

那场比赛太不可思议了。这整个赛季都令人惊叹。我是以一个死忠粉无比自豪的立场说这句话的。
确实有一些艰难的时刻，但整个赛季，马刺都在证明自己。在战斗。甚至可以说，在统治比赛。而且这不仅仅是因为文班，上帝保佑他。不管你怎么说，我们整个10人核心轮换阵容在整个赛季的不同阶段都发挥了巨大的作用。他们中的每一个人都为这个62胜、进攻和防守均排名前五的赛季做出了贡献。

每个人都有自己的高光时刻，有属于自己的代表作，都证明了这支球队的实力。这里有一种能量。我不仅是指比喻意义上的，也是指化学反应上的。这就是团队默契（化学反应）。

到目前为止，我重温这场比赛的唯一部分就是最后大约一分钟，我主要关注的是赛后。当时大家都开始欢呼。我想文班和卡斯尔（Castle）开始拥抱，你能看到文班眼里含着泪水，然后凯尔登（Keldon）走过来加入，发起了一个大大的拥抱。然后接下来的10分钟里，他们一直在和每个人拥抱、击掌、碰拳，那种能量感简直爆棚。工作还没有完成，但对于这支球队来说，从来不仅仅关乎终点或目标。它关乎的是能量、信心、默契（化学反应）和家人般的凝聚力。

整个赛季下来，甚至比赢球更让人高兴的是，看到他们关系如此紧密。满满的爱。当你有友谊的力量时，谁还需要季后赛经验？

我也流泪了，因为这真的……太不容易了。这些年来太令人疲惫了，所以我无法想象他们的感受。在局势变得严峻时，我们失去了我们的教父。在一笔可怕的交易中失去了我们的核心。我们让整个NBA都对马刺重塑魔力、重返争冠行列的能力失去了信心。

不仅是在抢七大战中，而是整整一年，这些小伙子们都在证明，关于我们衰落的传言仅仅是传言而已。我们只需要时间、耐心和满满的爱。

我爱这支球队。

@6thManFan

狂赞！

@zhouprodigy

也给我的好基友 6thManFan 点赞一百万次！

@Morethanagame

我今天看了一些赛后反应和前瞻视频，我一直在想，为什么有些懂球帝（talking heads）明明能对篮球战术细节（Xs and Os）和比赛计划做出相当不错的分析，却总是在季后赛系列赛中预测错胜者（也就是说，不看好马刺）。我意识到了一件事：尽管他们对篮球策略和对位等可能非常聪明，但他们忽略了那些让一支优秀球队变得伟大、让一支有天赋的球队变得顽强且富有韧性、让一支年轻球队能够边打边学并不断进步的无形资产。他们不明白，这支球队内部的友谊、紧密联系和永不言弃的斗志，正在互相反哺、共鸣并不断壮大。他们相信自己，根本不在乎别人说什么。

我在季后赛早些时候说过，我觉得自己再次爱上了这支球队，在蒂姆·邓肯 (Tim Duncan) 时代之后，我本以为这是不可能的——我依然极度尊重这个管理层，但不再是当年那种爱了。好吧，我可能真的错了。

@zhouprodigy

上一次夺冠阵容在的时候，我还算是个新球迷；事实上，我粉凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 的时间可能比我们历史上任何其他马刺球员都要长，所以现在的这份爱不知怎的……更深了？就像我刚成为马刺球迷时，他们就已经很优秀了。但了解这支年轻球队一路走来的历史，让这一切变得更加特别。

我觉得很多人低估了比赛中的精神层面。战术固然好也很重要，球商也很重要，但如果一个人没有求胜心、动力、斗志和那股狠劲（DAWG），那么世界上所有的策略和天赋也只能让你走到这一步。

可以说，俄克拉荷马雷霆（OKC）拥有天赋，即使他们有伤病。他们绝对拥有经验优势。他们的教练了解自己的球员，他的战术布置本该比米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 画出来的任何战术都更优秀。他们的球员也绝对知道如何利用裁判来为自己争取优势。
我一整年都听到人们说他们的哈滕/切特连线对其他球队来说是噩梦，但在最关键的时刻，我没看到他们任何一个7尺长人长途奔袭去破坏快攻。我也没看到他们的第三或第四选择敢在篮下挑战我们的7尺长人。

所有人一整季都以为我们在追赶他们，但事实上，我们可能早就超越他们了。

@GaryWayne

纽约是体育和新闻界的麦加，所以东海岸媒体的偏见将会铺天盖地。

他们的球迷基数让我们的显得渺小，而且东海岸和纽约绝对极度渴望一个总冠军。他们太想要了，所以难免会失去一些客观的判断，这也是可以理解的。

他们的说法是纽约一路碾压晋级季后赛，并且正处于11连胜中。完全不管对手实力有多弱。

对马刺来说，这将是一个艰难的系列赛，但我认为他们之前所缺乏的季后赛经验，已经通过前三轮比赛积累起来了。

我认为我们是更好的那支球队，而且我们还握有主场优势。如果卡斯尔和他的队友们能够阻挡MVP……我想他们对杰伦·布伦森 (Jalen Brunson) 也能做到同样的事。

@brunostrange

精彩的专栏，查理。我经常在社交媒体上看到球迷把朱利安（Jules）封为“丹尼·格林 (Danny Green) 2.0”，或者琢磨我们现在的这批人里谁是“新马努”，这多少让我有点摸不着头脑。和所有人一样，我热爱这支球队的黄金时代，但这些小伙子们是他们自己。诚然，他们站在巨人的肩膀上——而且从各方面来看，他们都尊重并致敬这些基石——但他们正在建立属于自己的传奇。

@Fkj

那真是……太棒了，查理爵士……

多么经典的神奇巧合。旧时代结束，新时代开启，在同一片球场，面对同一个对手。我还记得蒂姆（Timmy）错失那个近距离空位补篮后无比沮丧的样子。我想他当时就知道了。

我的拙见：

1. 这个赛季的大部分时间里，我都在警告说现在还为时过早。我们在身体和心理上都还没准备好。我们是一支优秀的球队，有潜力变得伟大。现在看来我错了，我们已经准备好了，而且现在就很伟大。

2. 我们需要福克斯（或者福克斯这种类型的球员）。毋庸置疑。

3. 搞不懂为什么我会为两个20多岁的超级年轻富翁感到如此高兴，但我就是为KJ和德文（Devin）感到高兴。他们俩一次又一次地做出了能赢球的关键战术。

4. 卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet) 总能做出赢球的战术……毋庸置疑。

5. 我们的队员准备充分，执行了比赛计划，而且比赛中的临场调整也管理得很好。看来米奇确实会执教……毋庸置疑。

@bigald1

我学到的事：

• 德阿隆·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 因为带着扭伤的脚踝打完这个艰难的系列赛而受到了一些批评，但没有他，马刺就进不了总决赛。他确实提前开启了球队的夺冠窗口。
• 尚帕尼 (Champagnie) 即使在投篮不准的时候，也是终极粘合剂球员。他似乎总能抢下关键篮板、完成抢断、盖帽或破坏传球，并做出赢球的战术。有时，他的三分球还会突然爆发。
• 关于雷霆系列赛最搞笑的文章是把霍姆格伦比作本·西蒙斯 (Ben Simmons) 的那篇。

现在让我们完成争夺第六冠（seis）的征程，然后开始为第七冠（siete）养精蓄锐。

@TontonOngBak

原则上，只要是认可福克斯在关键时刻所做贡献或潜在作用的帖子，我一律点赞。

@BennyHannah

没错。完全同意！

也许在第二土豪线逼迫我们进行交易之前，我们只能拥有他3个赛季（或者也许我们能搞定——谁知道呢？），但没有他，我们今年绝对进不了总决赛——而且没有他，我们可能在未来2-3年内都无法达到我们的上限。

如果我们能在接下来的3年里设法拿到2枚戒指，等他退役那天，我一定会亲手升起他的4号退役球衣旗帜！

@outside-the-box

我依然对DV（德文·瓦塞尔）防守技巧的升级感到震惊。

@6thManFan

如果我没记错的话，他选秀时就被宣传为潜在的防守球星。但他今年在防守端绝对有了长足的进步。而且是整体上的提升。我非常喜欢在季后赛中看他打球，只要他在场上我就感到很安心。

@sdowns1470

维克托说过他是个真性情的人，对我来说，这确实是真的。他释放出了我们所有人可能同时感受到的情绪。我觉得他不像很多人那样害怕表达情感，这太棒了。邓肯在打球时很少流露情绪，如果有的话也是极少数。我记得唯一的一次是2013年对阵迈阿密热火的总决赛，当时他懊恼地拍了地板。邓肯是一位安静的领袖，他用行动而不是言语或情绪来领导球队。

在以联盟倒数第八的战绩结束上赛季后，仅仅一年我们就打进了总决赛，这太疯狂了。上赛季我们打出了34胜48负的战绩，对这个赛季的大部分情况根本无法预料。我们知道我们会选下迪伦，并签下一两个不错的自由球员，但现在这样？在去年夏天拿到2号签和14号签之后，我完全没想到不到一年我们就能挺进总决赛。

三年过去了，维克托成为这支球队的门面依然让我感到不可思议。他是个非常贴心的孩子，他与卡梅隆、文斯、特雷西·麦克格雷迪 (Tracy McGrady) 和玛丽亚·泰勒 (Maria Taylor) 的交流充分说明了他的品质。他由优秀的父母抚养长大，拥有一颗温柔的心，我希望这个世界上有更多人能像他一样。他的父母应该为培养出这样一个温柔的巨人而感到自豪。他小时候穿着帕克球衣的事实也说明了很多，因为他不仅是帕克的球迷，也因为帕克而成为了马刺的球迷。

@Fkj

太喜欢那个“我得和波波聊聊”的时刻了……我差点哭了，或者说其实已经偷偷抹眼泪了

@Karula

这将是疯狂的。我内心深处最不可告人的篮球秘密是，我其实挺喜欢在麦迪逊广场花园看季后赛的，因为看着那里的观众陷入疯狂、球馆那种复古的氛围以及到场的所有名人等等，真的非常有趣！

我完全懂你的感受！我就在纽约，昨天我在社区里散步，尼克斯效应是真实存在的。人们走来走去，脸上洋溢着幸福，互相说早安什么的……这在平时可不常见。

我承认……我对尼克斯球迷有一丝好感。

赢球后我立刻欣喜若狂，但同时我也有点纠结：“噢不，为什么偏偏要由我们来粉碎我邻居们的美好氛围呢？”

然后我听了我们赢球后迈克·布朗 (Mike Brown) 的新闻发布会。迈克·布朗显然也与圣安东尼奥有渊源。（链接：https://youtu.be/WM1JUEAk6og?si=iiafLfP3DhWxEnxg）这帮我记起：我们可以给予彼此世界上所有的尊重，但依然渴望赢下比赛，这就是篮球。

我真的很兴奋我们要对阵一支打团队篮球的优秀球队。我们将见证一些不可思议的比赛。上帝保佑，我希望我们的小伙子们能赢！！！

@GaryWayne

这支尼克斯队带来了独特的挑战。

显然，这一切都始于变幻莫测的布伦森和他多才多艺的进攻手段。他是一个真正的三级得分手，武器库里应有尽有。三分球、中距离、抛投，以及通过极具创意地利用打板和强大的对抗力量完成那些看似不可能的篮下终结。但是……虽然他下手快且防守积极，但他并不是一个出色的防守者。

唐斯（KAT）制造了前三轮任何其他大个子都无法制造的麻烦。他有强硬的低位进攻，同样重要的是，在这次季后赛期间，他的三分命中率接近50%。如果他在外线手感火热，那将意味着麻烦。这会迫使维克托（Vic）在防守端拉出油漆区，这也是季后赛中其他大个子都无法做到的。但和布伦森一样，他也不是一个好防守者。

阿奴诺比是个野兽，他有防守文班（Wemby）效果极佳的历史记录，而且三分命中率也接近50%。对我来说，他是他们的X因素。

布里奇斯在季后赛中表现起伏不定，但最近手感火热。他的三分球可以热到发烫，但不够稳定。

哈特是个万金油。他是卡鲁索类型的球员，防守出色，似乎总能做出关键表现。但他是个糟糕的三分射手，罚球也经常打铁。

还有年轻的小麦克布莱德最近三分球投得很准。

雷霆（OKC）可能是实力更强的球队，但面对这支尼克斯队会是一场硬仗。他们三分投得很好，布伦森是一个冷血杀手，而且他们永远不会提前放弃比赛。

米切尔是个野兽，在有限的出场时间里可能会限制住文班。但小拇指骨折会影响他的发挥。
我们面临着艰巨的任务。

@RaceForSeis

我记得他离开时，手在肩膀上方轻轻挥了挥。很细微。但我们都知道。我们早就知道这一天会来。我们太熟悉他的每一个小细节了。我们不得不向现实低头。那是一个我们被迫接受的难以接受的境地。

马努的最后一场比赛彻底让我心碎了。

@Mark Barrington

我学到了一件事，那就是“GO”这个词后面可以加很多很多个“O”。

@Nasty spurs ph

我简直是每小时都刷一次这个网站，等着看德文和查理两位爵士写的WWL。我中毒太深了。

@MCRichey

既然一切尘埃落定，下面谈谈对这场比赛、系列赛以及未来宿敌关系的一些看法。
– 这个系列赛之所以如此美丽，部分原因在于有这么多球员参与其中。卢克·科内特上场一分钟就奉献了那记追身大帽，这是最显而易见的，但当我们在第四节都喊着要换下KJ时，他却打出了一波高潮。德文在抢七大战中手感不佳，但在整个系列赛中投进了一些关键球（并送出了关键盖帽）。福克斯伤愈复出后成了我们需要的定海神针，控制了失误并投进了一些关键球。卡特·布莱恩特 (Carter Bryant) 贡献了几次精彩的扣篮（他的时代即将到来）。尚帕尼在抢七中投进了那么多三分。卡斯尔在系列赛中场均得到18分，并主防亚历山大（SGA）。迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 投进了关键的三分并奉献了突破。文班是实至名归的系列赛MVP，但这是一场团队的胜利，他的配角阵容在需要的时候挺身而出，各司其职。
– 迪伦·哈珀明年还会继续打替补吗？如果是这样，我们可能会在未来几年统治最佳第六人这个奖项。我觉得他迟早会成为我们的二号得分手。作为一个新秀，他在抢七大战的最后几分钟表现得如此关键——这个孩子注定会非同凡响。
– 米奇·约翰逊。半场结束时，我们在前场篮板上被爆得体无万肤，但我们做出了调整，限制了对手，并不知怎么地赢下了篮板球之争。这和比赛中的任何事情一样关键。
– 我们的团队防守。在第四节，他们投进了许多高难度球以咬住比分，但我认为在最后6分钟里，他们没有得到一次轻松出手的机会。我们让他们每一次得分都付出了艰苦的努力。亚历山大在比赛结束时精疲力竭，这是我们有意为之的，这让他们很难完成逆转。我们的球队打得极有纪律性，而且防守强度从未下降。
– 我完全相信，在未来的五年多里，我们还会多次上演这样的对决。雷霆（OKC）不会退缩，我们也不会。假设我们双方都保持健康，很难想象未来几年有谁能达到我们两队的高度。两支球队都很年轻，并且拥有额外的选秀权来帮助他们提升。在未来几年，我们都必须解决薪资空间问题，但我们有足够的资产来应对这些挑战。我认为我们和雷霆明年都会比今年更好，这一定会让整个联盟感到害怕。
– 我觉得我也必须向雷霆致敬。虽然亚历山大在比赛中的假摔让人难以接受，但这个人真的非常有风度、谦逊、聪明且专业。雷霆不找借口也不抱怨，他们脚踏实地，专注于自我提升。我认为我们也是同样的风格，这将使我们在接下来的几年里成为伟大的宿敌。

如果我们保持专注和健康，我们应该能击败尼克斯。我们有球员可以限制布伦森，而文班需要去惩罚唐斯。我认为在这个系列赛中，缺乏一个真正的大前锋是一个挑战——如果能把文班以外的人防在唐斯身上，不让他把文班拉出油漆区就好了，但我认为文班可以在进攻端利用他，并在一定程度上抵消这一劣势。这应该是一个有趣的系列赛，但如果我们不掉以轻心并赢下第一场，我认为我们能在5场内拿下。

@PJ-Spurs

我学到的是，这支缺乏经验的年轻球队，在目前的季后赛中：

在赛点局中取得3胜0负（一场主场，两场客场）
在面临淘汰的生死战中取得2胜0负（一场主场，一场客场）

@sgcspurs

查理——你的WWL让我流泪了（以一种最好的方式）。它让我想起了过去十年里我为了应对这支球队和我们所有球迷所经历的变化，而小心翼翼封存起来的情感。我们是多么幸运，能够见证一个伟大起点——一些令人屏息和兴奋的事情。当然，如果我们仔细观察，依然能看到过去的影子。如果我说我心里没有一部分在想念邓肯（TD）、马努、托尼和波波（以及其他几个人），那我是在撒谎。但实际上，我们现在能够尽情享受这群让我们深感自豪的年轻小伙子们的独特与天赋。这是另一段旅程的开始，无论接下来发生什么，我都非常兴奋能参与其中。感谢你优美的文字，期待更多佳作。GSG!!!

@6thManFan

Posting and Toasting（尼克斯专区）的尼克斯球迷对他们那支“无敌战舰”极度自信，认为他们会把我们的马刺打得落花流水。我觉得这是因为他们已经有10场比赛没看到自己的球队挣扎着赢球了。我们很快就会见分晓。

@Karula

百炼成钢……我想说，我们艰难的晋级之路让我们比以往任何时候都更加强大，而他们根本不知道等待他们的是什么。

@6thManFan

马刺的防守要来找你们了，尼克斯

@Veggiedelite

轻松跨过费城和克利夫兰给球迷群体带来的迷之自信。

@brunostrange

不，他们一直都这么自大。

@mikrobass3

“我们不在乎！”—— V·文班亚马 (V. Wembanyama)

@older not wiser

周六抢七大战前的整整一天，我都异常平静。在度过那一天的同时，我非常清楚时钟正一分一秒地逼近比赛时间。当然，这并不是说我知道马刺一定会赢，但我确信他们能够赢，并且第六场比赛中他们的防守和全队拼抢努力真的给了我很大的信心。

这几乎就像很久以前等待毕业舞会或大型派对一样。期待本身就是一种快乐。你知道前方是一个重大且难忘的夜晚，但你并不确切知道这个夜晚会如何度过。

当然，当比赛真正开始时，我整个人都紧张坏了。

自从那场比赛结束后，我一直在回味这场胜利，通过大量的重温、阅读和听播客来让自己沉浸在这一刻。我也一直在耐心等待WWL。这是回味胜利绝对最好的方式。查理，你再次提供了一篇无与伦比的佳作，完美捕捉了这种情绪和瞬间。非常感谢（Muchas gracias）。

好了，今天是周一。我们正处于西决抢七和总决赛第一场之间。难以置信。是时候开始考虑尼克斯了。我住在纽约上州。我所有的尼克斯球迷朋友在这轮季后赛中都为我感到非常兴奋。至少在我的圈子里，他们绝大多数人都喜欢维克托（Vic）和马刺，并乐于看到他们击败雷霆。一个朋友说，在总决赛中，她真的很难去支持马刺的对手。

另一方面，尼克斯球迷已经等待了太久太久。如果马刺赢了，那对那个球迷群体将是一个巨大的打击。好吧，这应该是一场史诗般的对决。必须开始做好准备了。再次感叹，这真是一个不可置信的赛季。

@BennyHannah

写得太棒了，查理！

@spursrups

“在某种程度上，这就像我是球队的一员，谢谢关心。” 哈哈

@Tropicaldaze

我学到的是，马刺是一支非常有天赋的球队，即使我们的阵容里没有文班（Wemby），例如让卢克担任我们的中锋，而其他阵容保持不变，我们依然会是NBA前5-6名的球队之一。

@gllorente

已经过去两天多了，看到小伙子们夺冠后的兴奋，我依然激动不已……哇，多么精彩的一场比赛！！我们在整个系列赛中学到了很多……没有一场比赛是容易的，尤其是对阵雷霆。现在我终于可以说我们准备好了……我们除了雄狮般的斗志外，不需要任何其他东西……天赋已经绰绰有余……就是这样。

@JoSpurs

谢谢你，查理。
我还记得邓肯结束我们“篮球天堂”的那一天。

@BennyHannah

我想反驳的是，蒂姆（Timmy）其实把接力棒交了出去，但预期的接班人却把它扔进了沟里还踩了几脚——但你的意思我懂了！

@TontonOngBak

查理，我通常很喜欢你的文章，但这篇WWL需要比“爱”这个大写的L更高级的词来形容！！
尽管我也深爱着以前的那支马刺，但有时我也厌倦了看到这些年轻人被拿来和前辈比较，因为我和你一样，觉得他们值得因为他们自己而被认可，而不是因为他们让我们想起了谁……

*顺便问一下，你拿到那张媒体证了吗？刚才没听清你的回答。

@Big Jake

极佳的总结。除了我也欣喜若狂之外，我对所有事情的感受几乎一模一样。从明天开始，我必须收敛一下这种情绪，摆出战斗姿态了，但是，天呐……

文班看起来很像邓肯，只是没有那么不苟言笑。考虑到对手一直在不停地侵犯他而裁判却不吹犯规，我完全能理解他为什么会这样。

我永远不会喜欢NBA变成WWF/WWE那种摔角风格。但我们的小伙子们无论如何都在坚持，如果这让他们带上了一点好胜的怨气，那就这样吧。他们依然很有风度。

@6thManFan

邓肯（TD）和维克托（Vic）都是非常聪明、有思想的人和球员。但是，虽然邓肯似乎把大部分情绪都藏在心里，维克托却会把情绪完全外露爆发出来。以他们各自的方式，两人都同样让人乐于为之加油。我们真是太幸运了！

@6thManFan

大卫·罗宾逊也绝对是一个让人乐于为之加油的球员。他可以说是为马刺篮球树立了道德标准的典范。

@storytellerdude50

“我永远不会忘记蒂姆·邓肯最后一次离开俄克拉荷马城球场的场景。一支充满天赋、令人瞩目但最终存在缺陷的马刺队，刚刚在西部半决赛第六场中输给了雷霆队。”

这是我说邓肯比科比（Kobe）更好的众多原因之一。科比的最后一场比赛令人尴尬。出手50次 才拿到60分？ 图什么？！他的球队烂透了，而且他的球队再次无缘季后赛。一个在整个职业生涯中一次又一次侮辱比赛的、追逐名利的自私垃圾。
邓肯的最后一场比赛是在季后赛第二轮，努力争取在真正的季后赛中晋级。他的最后一场比赛充满了谦逊，不需要任何作秀，这比科比的比赛重要得多（努力争取晋级），也打得好得多。

" 这些孩子从未真正经历过一支举足轻重的马刺队。 "

我喜欢这句话。作为一名曾经的教师，你最不想做的事就是去接替一位即将退休、同时又很受欢迎、业务能力极强且深受社区每个人喜爱的老师。
马刺队是一个很难被超越的标杆。去问问99年及以后的公牛队前球员就知道了。但这支球队正在走自己的路，而且很快就产生了效果。不仅引人注目，而且达到了“可能在维克托（Vic）的第三个赛季就夺冠”的程度。

“……但请放心，这完全是另一回事。”

确实如此。当今的比赛风格已经把钟摆荡到了另一个极端，甚至连不看篮球的人都觉得荒谬。（你们那些整天唠叨现在伤病更严重是因为比赛节奏更快，却不提过去残酷防守带来的身体磨损的人，根本就是一无所知）然而……
现在的马刺不仅能跟上当今比赛的进攻节奏，而且他们的防守非常凶悍（米奇教练在教这些年轻小伙子如何避免过多犯规方面做得非常出色。波波也做过，但在当今这个时代，这要复杂得多）。

这支球队完全是独一无二的，同时始终尊重圣安东尼奥马刺的历史。我的意思是，作为球迷，你们真的明白我们有多幸运吗？ 我曾经只是一个住在密苏里州圣路易斯以南35分钟车程的小镇上的七年级男孩，当时穿球衣的流行风潮正盛（这对我们低收入家庭来说超级昂贵），我想和大家一样融入其中，穿上乔丹、巴克利、奥尼尔或哈达威、尤因或斯塔克斯、马龙，甚至是德雷克斯勒、约翰逊和莫宁等人的球衣。
大卫·罗宾逊 (David Robinson) 是我的偶像，没有其他任何人有他的球衣。我变得对篮球无比痴迷（我甚至执教过几支初中球队，取得了相当不错的成绩），因为他曾是一名海军，就像我父亲一样，而且是一个虔诚的基督徒。

所以，我非常自豪自己加入了圣安东尼奥马刺的阵营，并有幸享受了成功（也深深承受了心碎）。我只是很高兴上帝选择了我成为一名马刺球迷，并让我有机会每天在这个网站上与你们每一个人交流（即使我们经常意见不合）。

爱你们所有人，我爱成为一名马刺球迷！让我们去狠狠教训一下纽约！！！

由生成式 AI 翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。

点击查看原文：

@zhouprodigy

I also want to shout out to all my Pounders here.

It’s rough being a Spurs fan not in San Antonio. There’s a lot of us here, I think, but for the last 10-14 years (I can’t remember how long it’s been anymore), from a college kid who took entirely too many vodka shots for EVERY Spurs game to a slightly older man who maybe cuts back to just every 2 or 3 games, and spaces out the shots a lot better (insert elite shot selection pun here)… This has been my home. Y’all have been the people I watch these games with when I really just don’t have anyone else. And it’s been real.

And I know I’ve probably fought with a lot of y’all, but it’s because y’all are my Spurs family. We’ve celebrated. Agreed and disagreed, and debated, and it’s that passion that us out of towners really can’t feel. So I do appreciate you in-towners and out-of-towners, the passionate ones, even those of you who may be more uhh negative/cautious. I appreciate the Homers who also defend this team with a passion alongside me. And the writers. Thank y’all for years of finding ways to break down these games, this team, in ways that help us appreciate and understand our passion more.

It feels amazing to share this moment with y’all, especially after this… long. long. LONG. journey. The job isn’t finished, but I think that we have earned a moment to just enjoy the moment where we have found ourself, in June, able to say that the job isn’t finished…

OK, enough of the emotional shit. We have 48 hours to prepare. I’m buying a bottles or two, and I’ve washed my Wemby jersey for the last time this season. Get your lucky socks, your pregame/post-game poetry, all of the energy and mojo that has been working for us all year, because this is it. The First of what should be many, many Big ones to come.

GSG!

@zhouprodigy

That game was amazing. This entire season has been amazing. And I mean that in all of my homerific glory.
There were rough spots, to be sure, but this entire season, the Spurs have been making statements. Fighting. Dominating, might I add. And it’s not just Wemby, bless his soul. Say what you want, but our entire main 10 man rotation have been HUGE at different parts all season. Every single one of them contributed to a 62 win season, top 5 offense and defense.

Everyone had moments, had games, had statements about what this team is. There is this energy. And I mean that figuratively, but also chemically. It’s the chemistry.

The only part of the game I rewatched so far was the last minute or so, and I focused mostly on the post-game. When everyone started yelling. I think Wemby and Castle started hugging, and you could see tears in Wemby’s eyes, and then Keldon came over and jumped in, initiated a whole group hug. And then they spent the next 10 minutes just hugging and high-fiving everyone, dapping each other up, like the ENERGY. The job is not finished, but with this team, it’s never been about just the destination or the goal. It’s been about the energy. The confidence. The chemistry. The Family.

All season long, even more than the wins, it’s been a joy to see them so close. So much love. Who needs playoff experience when you have the power of friendship?

Some tears came to my eyes, too, because it was just… exhausting. It’s been so exhausting for years, so I can’t imagine how they must feel. We lost our patriarch when things were getting serious. Lost our centerpiece to a scary move. We lost the confidence of the entire NBA in the ability for the Spurs to recreate the magic, the Standard of contention.

And not just in Game 7, but all YEAR, these guys have been proving that the rumors of our demise were simply that. We just needed time, patience, and a whole lot of love.

I love this team.

@6thManFan

A million recs!

@zhouprodigy

And another million to my fellow 6thManFan!

@Morethanagame

I was watching some reaction and preview videos today and I kept wondering how some of these talking heads who can do pretty good analysis on the basketball Xs and Os and gameplan and what not somehow keep picking the wrong team to win the Playoff series (meaning not the Spurs). And I realised something: as much as they might be super clever about basketbal strategies and matchups etc., they are forgetting the necessary intangibles that make a good team great, a talented team a tenacious and resilient one, a young team who can learn and improve on the fly. They don’t understand that the friendship, connectedness, and endless fights in them just reciprocate and resonate and enhance within the team. They believe themselves and they don’t give a damn what other people say.

I said it earlier in the Playoff that I feel like I am falling in love with this team all over again, which I didn’t think was possible after the TD era - still respect the hell of the organisation, but not the kind of love I felt back then. Well, I just might be wrong.

@zhouprodigy

I was fairly new when the last championship squad was here; in truth, I may have been a fan of Keldon Johnson longer than any other Spur in our history, so the love I have now is somehow… deeper? Like when I became a Spurs fan, they were already good. But knowing the history of this young team makes it all the more special.

I think a lot of people discount the mental aspect of the game. Xs and Os are nice and important, IQ is important, but if someone doesn’t have the heart, the drive, the fight, the DAWG, all the strategy and talent in the world is only going to get you so far.

Arguably, OKC had the talent, even with their injuries. They definitely had the Experience advantage. Their coach knew his players and his Xs and Os should have been more elite than anything Mitch Johnson could’ve drawn up. Their players definitely knew how to use the refs to their advantage.
I heard all year how their Hart/Chet connection was hell for other teams, but when it mattered most, I didn’t see any of their 7 footers running the length of the court to blow up a fast break. I didn’t see any of their 3rd/4th options challenging their 7 footers at the rim.

Everyone spent all season thinking we were chasing them, when in truth, we may have surpassed them long ago.

@GaryWayne

New York is the mecca of the sports and journalism world, so East coast media bias will abound.

Their fan base drawfs ours and the East coast and New York is absolutely desperate for a title. They want it so badly, that they understandably lose some perspective.

The narrative they have is that NY has steamrolled their way thru the playoffs and is on an 11 game win streak. Never mind that the competition was weak.

This will be a tough series for the Spurs, but I think that playoff experience they lacked, has been acquired thru these first 3 rounds.

I think we’re the better team and have home court advantage in our back pocket. If Castle and co was able to thwart the MVP…I’m thinking they can do the same with Brunson.

@brunostrange

Excellent column, Charlie. I often see fans on social media anointing Jules as Danny Green 2.0, or wondering which of our current crop of guys is “the new Manu,” and it kinda makes me scratch my head a little. Like everyone else, I love the golden age of this franchise, but these guys are their own men. Indeed they stand on the shoulders of giants - and by all accounts, they respect and honor those foundations - but the legacies they’re building are their own.

@Fkj

That was…AWESOME, Sir Charles..

What a classic piece of serendipity..Old era ended, and new era begun on the same court vs same foe..I still remember Timmy missing the bunny and how crestfallen he was after. I think he knew.

My Dime:

1. Most of the season I have cautioned that it is too soon. We are not physically or emotionally ready. We are a good team, potentially great. It seems I was wrong , we are ready and are great now.

2. We need Fox ( or a Fox type). Period.

3. Don’t understand how I can be so happy for 2 super rich young men in thier 20s, but I just am for KJ and Devin. Both provided winning plays over and over.

4. Luke Kornet makes winning plays..Period.

5. Our guys were prepared, executed the game plan game, and the in game was well managed. Seems Mitch can coach..Period.

@bigald1

Things I learned:

• DeAaron Fox has been bagged on some with his tough series played on a sprained ankle but the Spurs don’t make the finals without him. He truly did open their window early.
• Champagnie, even when his shot isn’t falling, is the ultimate glue guy. He always seems to grab a key rebound, make a steal, block, or deflection and make winning plays. Sometimes, he even gets hot from 3 point range.
• Funniest article about the Thunder series was one comparing Homgren to Ben Simmons.

Now lets finish the race for seis and start the siesta for siete.

@TontonOngBak

By principle always rec a post where Fox is recognized for what he brings or can bring in key moments.

@BennyHannah

Yep. Exactly!

Maybe we only have him for 3 seasons before 2nd apron forces a trade (or maybe we make it work - who knows?), but we are not here in the finals this year without him - and we probably do not hit our ceiling for another 2-3 years without him.

If we manage to win 2 rings in the coming 3 years, I will personally hoist his #4 jersey retirement banner when the day comes!

@outside-the-box

I’m still blown away at DVs defensive skill upgrade.

@6thManFan

IIRC when he was drafted, he was touted as a potential defensive star. But he has definitely improved on that end this year. And improved overall. I have really enjoyed watching him in the playoffs and feel confident when he is on the floor.

@sdowns1470

Victor said he wears his emotions on his sleeve and to me that is a true statement. He lets out emotions that we’re all likely feeling at the same time. I think it’s wonderful that he’s not afraid to show emotion like a lot of people are. Duncan, rarely if ever, let out any emotions while he was playing. The one time I recall was the 2013 finals against Miami when he slapped the floor. Duncan was a quiet leader and led by example rather than showing it.

The fact that we made it to the finals one year after finishing with the 8th worst record is crazy. We finished 34-48 last season and had no idea how this season would play out for the most part. We knew we were going to draft Dylan and acquire a good free agent or two but this? I didn’t envision a finals appearance not even a year after drafting 2nd and 14th last summer.

The fact that we have Victor as the face of this franchise is still unbelievable to me 3 years later. He is such a sweet kid and his words with Carmelo, Vince, Tracy McGrady and Maria Taylor says a lot about him. He was raised by great parents and has gentle heart that I wish more people had in this world. His parents should be proud of themselves for raising such a gentle giant in this kid. The fact that he was wearing a Parker jersey as a kid says a lot because he grew up Parker fan but a Spurs fan as well because of Parker.

@Fkj

Loved that ," I got to talk to Pop" moment..I almost cried or did a little:)

@Karula

This is going to be insane. The dirtiest basketball secret I hold in my heart is that I kind of love watching playoff games at MSG because it’s fun watching that crowd go insane and the arena is so old school and all the celebrities, etc. It’s very fun!

I definitely feel you here! I’m in NYC and I took a walk around my neighborhood yesterday and the Knicks effect is REAL. People walkin around all happy and saying good morning to each other and stuff… that just doesn’t typically happen around here.

I’ll admit it… I got a soft spot for knicks fans.

Immediately after the win I was ecstatic, but I was also a little bit like “Oh no, why does it have to be us that crushes all my neighbors good vibes”?

Then I listened to Mike Brown’s presser after our win. Mike Brown, who also has ties to San Antonio obviously. (Link: https://youtu.be/WM1JUEAk6og?si=iiafLfP3DhWxEnxg ) Helped me remember: we can have all the respect in the world for one another and still want to win and that’s basketball.

I am really excited that we’re playing a good team that plays team ball. We’re gonna witness some incredible games. And by God, I want our boys to win!!!

@GaryWayne

This Knicks team presents unique challenges.

Obviously it starts with the mercurial Brunson and his multi faceted offensive game. A true 3 level scorer, who has every trick in his bag. 3 point shooting, midrange game, floaters, seemingly impossible shots at the rim with great/creative use of the glass and enormous strength to finish thru contact. But…while he has quick hands and is active on defense, he’s not a good defender.

KAT creates problems that no other big man could in the previous 3 rounds. Strong post game and just as importantly, is shooting nearly 50% on 3s during these playoffs. If he’s shooting well from beyond the arc, it’s gonna mean trouble. Forces Vic out of the paint on defense, which again no other big man in the playoffs has been able to do. But like Brunson, isn’t a great defender.

Abunoby is a beast, has a track record of defending Wemby well and is also shooting nearly 50% on 3s. To me he’s their x- factor.

Bridges has been up and down during the playoffs, but has been lighting it up recently. He can get white hot on 3s but is inconsistent.

Hart is a jack of all trades. A Caruso type that depends well and always seems to come up with key plays. But he’s a poor 3 point shooter and shoots bricks from the FT line.

And the youngster McBride has been lighting it up on 3s.

OKC may have been a better team, but this Knicks team is a tough matchup. They shoot the 3 well, Brunson is a stone cold killer and they are NEVER out of the game.

Mitchell is a beast that could neutralize Wemby in his limited minutes. But the broken pinky will hamper him.
We got our work cut out for us.

@RaceForSeis

I remember that little hand flick over the shoulder as he left. Subtle. But we all knew. We’d known it was coming. We were familiar with his nuances. We had to come to terms with reality. It was an unacceptable situation that we were forced to accept.

Manu’s last game absolutely broke me.

@Mark Barrington

I’ve learned that you can spell GO with a lot more 'O’s.

@Nasty spurs ph

I am literally checking this site every hour waiting for WWL of sirs devon and charles. That’s how addicted i am.

@MCRichey

Some thoughts on the game, series, and rivalry moving forward now that it’s all sinking in.
– Part of what made this series so beautiful was the parts so many players had in the series. Luke Kornet coming in for a minute and having that chasedown block is the most obvious, but there we also had KJ with a spurt in the 4th while we were all calling for him to be pulled. Devin had a bad shooting night in game 7 but had some huge shots (and huge blocks) throughout the series. Fox was the steady hand we needed after coming back from injury, limiting turnovers, and hitting some key shots. Carter Bryant with some huge dunks (his time is coming). Champagne with all those 3s in game 7. Castle averaging 18 ppg in the series and taking on SGA. Dylan Harper with clutch 3s and drives. Wemby was the rightful MVP of the series, but this was a team win and his supporting cast stepped up and played their parts when they needed to.
– Is Dylan Harper coming off the bench again next year? If so, we may rule that 6th man of the year award for years to come. I feel like he may be out number 2 scorer sooner rather than later. He was so clutch in the last few minutes of game 7 as a rookie - this kid is going to be special.
– Mitch Johnson. At the half we were getting killed on the offensive boards and we made the adjustments, took that away, and somehow won the rebounding battle. This was as big as anything in the game.
– Our team defense. In the 4th quarter, they made a lot of difficult shots to stay in it, but I don’t believe they got a single easy shot in the last 6 minutes. We made them work hard for everything they got. SGA was exhausted at the end of the game, this was by design and made a comeback very difficult for them. Our team played disciplined basketball and never let down the intensity.
– I fully believe that we will run this back many times in the next half decade+. OKC isn’t going anywhere and neither are we. Assuming we both stay healthy, it’s hard to imagine anyone getting on either of our level in the next few years. Both teams are young and have extra draft picks to help them improve. We will both have to figure out salary cap issues in the coming years, but we have enough assets to navigate those challenges. I think both we and OKC will be better next year than we were this year and that’s got to be scary for the league.
– I also feel like I have to give props to OKC. While SGA’s flopping is difficult to take during the game, the man is such a class act, humble, intelligent, and professional. OKC doesn’t make excuses or whine, they put their nose to the grindstone and work on themselves. I think we are in the same mold and that’s going to make this a great rivalry for the next several years.

If we keep our focus and our health, we should beat the Knicks. We have the players to slow down Brunson and Wemby needs to punish KAT. I think this is a series where a lack of a real PF is a bit of challenge- it would be nice to put someone besides Wemby on KAT so they couldn’t draw him out of the lane, but I think Wemby can take advantage of him on offense and neutralize that somewhat. Should be a fun series, but if we don’t have a letdown and we win game 1, I think we take it in 5.

@PJ-Spurs

I’ve learned that this inexperienced young team, so far in these playoffs, is:

3-0 in close out games (one at home, two on the road)
2-0 when facing elimination (one at home, one on the road)

@sgcspurs

Charlie- you WWL brought me to tears (in the best way). It reminded me of the emotions I’d carefully filed away, as a way to cope with what’s changed for this team and all us fans over the past decade. How lucky we are to find ourselves at the start of something- something breathtaking and exciting. Sure, there are reminders of the past if we look closely enough. I’d be lying if I said a part of me doesn’t miss TD, Manu, Tony, and Pop (plus several others). But really, we are able to revel in the uniqueness and talent of the this group of young men who we are all proud to root for. The start of another journey that I am so excited to be on, no matter what happens from here. Thank you for your beautiful words and I look forward to more. GSG!!!

@6thManFan

The Knicks fans over at Posting and Toasting are extremely confident in their “juggernaut” of a team and think they will thrash our Spurs. I think it’s because they haven’t seen their team struggle to win in 10 games. We’ll see soon enough.

@Karula

Steel sharpens steel… I say our tough road has made us stronger than ever and they have no idea what’s comin for them

@6thManFan

Spurs defense coming for you Knicks

@Veggiedelite

What walking over Philly and Cleveland does to a fan base

@brunostrange

no they’ve always been this delusional

@mikrobass3

“We don’t care!” - V. Wembanyama

@older not wiser

I was oddly calm all day Saturday before Game 7. I was very aware of the clock, ticking closer to game time as I went about my day. It’s not like I knew the Spurs were going to win, of course, but I was confident that they could win and was really buoyed by their defense and swarming effort overall in Game 6.

It was almost like waiting for prom or a big party back long ago. The anticipation itself is a joy. You know it’s a big memorable night up ahead but you don’t know exactly how the evening will go.

Of course when the game actually started I was a wreck.

Since the game I have been savoring the win and trying to soak in the moment with lots of re-viewing and reading and podcasts. I’ve also been patiently waiting for WWL. It is the absolute best way to savor a win. Charlie, once again, you provide a sublime piece of writing to capture the mood and the moment. Muchas gracias.

Okay, it’s Monday. We are halfway between WCF Game 7 and GAME 1 OF THE FINALS. Unbelievable. Time to start thinking about the Knicks. I live in upstate NY. All my Knicks’ fan friends have been very excited for me on this playoff run. At least in my circle, they overwhelmingly like Vic and the Spurs and enjoyed them beating OKC. One friend said she would have a really hard time rooting against them in the Finals.

On the other hand, it has been so so long for Knicks fans. If the Spurs win, it will hurt that fan base a lot. Oh well. This should be an epic clash. Gotta start gearing up. Again, WHAT A SEASON.

@BennyHannah

Great article Charlie!

@spursrups

“In a way it is like I am on the team, thanks for asking.”
lol

@Tropicaldaze

I learned the Spurs are such a talented squad that even if we didn’t have Wemby on the team, for example if we had Luke as our center but the rest of the roster was the same, we’d still be one of the top 5-6 teams in the NBA.

@gllorente

It’s been over two days and I’m still getting emotional about the boys’ excitement after winning the championship…wow, what a game!! We learned so much throughout the series…none of the games were easy, especially the Thunder. Now I can finally say we’re ready…we don’t need anything more than the heart of a lion…Talent is abundant…that’s all

@JoSpurs

Thank you Charlie.
I remember the day Duncan stop our Basketball Nirvana.

@BennyHannah

I would argue that Timmy handed it off and the intended recipient threw it into a ditch and stomped on it - but point taken!

@TontonOngBak

Charlie I usually loves your article, but this WWL needs more than the big L word to describe it!!
And as much as I loved the spurs of old, I am sometimes tired of reading those younglings being compared as I feel, like you, that they deserved to be recognized for who they are not who they remind us of…

*so did you get that press pass by the way? Couldn’t ear your answer

@Big Jake

Great synopsis. I feel pretty much the same way about everything other than I’m also overjoyed. I’ll have to temper that starting tomorrow and get my game face on, but dang…

Wemby seems a lot like Duncan, just not as stoic. And considering how much our opponents are hitting him all the time without any fouls being called I can understand why.

I’ll never be a fan of the NBA being WWF/WWE in its playing style. But our guys are persevering regardless and if that comes with a tiny bit of a shoulder chip then so be it. They still have class.

@6thManFan

Both TD and Vic are intelligent and thoughtful people and players. But while TD seemed to keep his emotions inside for the most part, Vic just explodes with emotion outwardly. Both equally enjoyable to root for in their own way. We are so lucky!

@6thManFan

And Robinson was an absolute joy to root for. He kind of set the standard for ethical Spurs basketball.

@storytellerdude50

*"*I’ll never forget Tim Duncan leaving the floor for the last time in Oklahoma City. A talented, interesting, and ultimately lacking Spurs team had just lost to the Thunder in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals."

This is one of many reasons I say Duncan is better than Kobe. Kobe’s last game was embarrassing. 50 shots to get 60 points? For what?! His team sucked and, once again, his team missed the playoffs. What a glory-seeking, selfish piece of garbage that insulted the game over and over throughout his career.
Duncan’s last game was in the 2nd round trying to advance in the actual playoffs. His last game, full of humbleness and no need for show, was so more important (trying to advance) and dang better than Kobe’s.

" These kids have never really known a Spurs team that mattered. "

I love that line. Being a former teacher, the last thing you want to do is get hired to follow a teacher that was retiring while also popular, really good at what they did, and was beloved by everyone in the community.
The Spurs are a hard act to follow. Just ask the former players of the Bulls from '99 and on. But this team is doing their own thing and it is catching on quickly. Not just noticable, it is as in “could possibly win the chip in Vic’s 3rd season.”

*"…*but, rest assured, it’s something else entirely."

It is. Today’s style has swung the pendulum so far to the other side even non-basketball types are saying it’s ridiculous. (You all that go on about how injuries today are worse because the game is faster, yet don’t bring up the wear and tear of the brutal defense of the past just don’t have a clue) However…
The current Spurs are not only keeping up with the offenses of today’s game, but their defense is savage (and coach Mitch is doing a fantastic job teaching the young pups how not to foul too much. Pop did too, but in this era it’s WAY more complicated).

This team is entirely their own thing while always respecting the history of the S.A. Spurs. I mean, do you all understand as fans, how lucky we are? I was just a 7th grade boy in a town 35 minutes south of St. Louis, MO who wanted to fit in with everyone else’s Jordan, Barkley, Shaq or Penny, Ewing or Starks, Malone, even Drexler, Johnson and Mourning, and a few more’s jerseys as the popularity of wearing them (which were super expensive for us low-income families) soared.
David Robinson was my guy whom no one else had his jersey. I became obsessed with basketball (I even coached a few jr. high teams with pretty good success) because he was a Navy man, like my father was, and a strong Christian.

So, I’m very proud that I fell into the San Antonio Spurs’ camp and I’ve been blessed to enjoy the success (and heavily endured the heartbreaks). I’m just happy God chose me to be a Spurs fan and giving me a chance to talk with each of you on this site each day (even if we disagree often).

Love all of you guys and I love being a Spurs fan! Let’s kick some NY butt!!!

via Pounding The Rock